Wreckage of Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 Found Near China border: Pilots Missing

The wreckage of Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 fighter jet, which went missing on May 23 near China border, has been found in Rupa Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. There is no word on the two pilots on board the jet so far. A Sukhoi-30, C-130 aircraft with electro-optical payload and ALH helicopters of the IAF are being utilised to retrieve the remains of the combat jet.

The jet with two pilots on board was on a routine sortie when it went missing on Tuesday morning around 60 km northwest of Tezpur airbase in Assam. There were reports of adverse weather in the area when multi-role combat jet lost contact with the ground control.

China on Wednesday said it had “no information” on the missing jet.

Asked if China had any information about the jet and whether it had offered information to India, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told reporters, “First of all, on the eastern section of China India border, our position is consistent and clear. We have been following the situation in South Tibet very closely,” he said, using the term China uses for Arunachal Pradesh which it has claims on.

“As for the situation you mentioned, I have no relevant information to offer at the moment,” he added.

The country’s frontline SU-30 MKI aircraft was inducted in the Tezpur air base on June 15, 2009.

At present, two squadrons comprising around 36 aircraft are deployed at Tezpur for guarding the China-India border in Arunachal Pradesh.